Venice Crowne Plaza forced to sell rooms for one Euro cent after ad error
The Crowne Plaza hotel near Venice has been forced to accept bookings for one Euro cent a night after its room rates were mistakenly advertised on the internet.
Nearly 230 people took advantage of the offer, which saw room rates at one cent instead of the usual €150 (£129), booking on average more than six nights per person at the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) hotel.
IHG told the BBC that it will honour all bookings made while the mistake was online. The wrong pricing for 1,400 room nights could cost the company up to €90,000 (£77,800).
The group said the mistake was made at the offices of IHG in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.
A spokeswoman for IHG said: "Although a pricing error, IHG is committed to honouring the one-cent rate for guests who have a valid confirmation."
IHG last week reported a slump in half year profits of 38% to $179m (£109m).
The company reported a 25% drop in turnover (of nearly $250m) in the six months to 30 June to $726m (£441m) compared with $974m (£592m) in the same period last year.
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By Gemma Sharkey
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